An Unexpected Couple
by WestWingFeminista
Summary: Ducky is in love with Ziva. Does she share his feelings? What does this mean for them and NCIS?
1. Chapter 1

Title: An Unlikely Romance

Pairing: Ziva/Ducky romance

I love the characters of Ziva and Ducky. This idea popped into my head while I was watching my season 4 NCIS dvds.

Rating: Teen for now

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my college textbooks, so please don't sue.

Dr. Donald Mallard sat at his desk in the morgue doing paperwork one morning. His mind however, was not on his work, but on the beautiful Mossad officer upstairs. Looking back, Ducky couldn't remember when he fell in love with Ziva David, only that he looked at her one day and he knew. He let out a sigh. She was so beautiful, mysterious and intelligent. There was no way that she could or would ever want him. Ducky was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the doors open, and he jumped when he felt the gentle hand on his shoulder. Looking up he found himself staring into Ziva's kind, brown eyes.

"Ducky are you alright?" He cleared his throat. "Oh yes, I'm fine." "Gibbs sent me down for your report on Master Chief Lewis." Ducky raised an eyebrow and Ziva looked sheepish. "Alright, well….I volunteered to come." They looked at each other for what felt like (to Ducky anyway) several minutes. Almost as if she could read his mind, Ziva suddenly said "you're not old Ducky." He looked startled and she continued "I volunteered because I like you. You don't judge me, and" she picked up his hand, "you're kind." Ducky squeezed her hand. "Thank you my dear." He handed her the requested report, and she looked at it like it was an alien. "Jethro will be wanting that soon." "Oh right" she mumbled. As Ziva turned to go, she softly kissed Ducky's cheek and slipped out of the morgue.

Ziva sighed. It was two o'clock in the afternoon and she was tired of paperwork. Since it was a slow day, the team was catching up on the more clerical aspect of their jobs. Ziva looked up when she heard the elevator ding. One of the ground floor security guards stepped out carrying an enormous vase of colored roses and cala lilies. Making his way over to her desk, he sat the vase down. "These were just delivered for you Officer David." Tony sat up straighter at his desk while Ziva looked at the fragrant blooms suspiciously. No one had ever given her flowers before. Giving her thanks to the guard, she carefully located the card and slipped it out of the tiny envelope.

To the most beautiful, mysterious, exotic and intelligent woman I have ever known. Ducky

"So who is he Zee-vah?" Tony drawled.

"A friend" she answered heading towards the elevator. Pushing the button for the morgue, she leaned against the railing, took a few deep breaths and tried to collect her thoughts. As the door dinged open, she stepped out, resolved to figure out what exactly was happening with herself and the medical examiner.

As luck would have it, Ducky was alone, well as alone as one could be while performing an autopsy. She stood outside and listened to him while he talked to the corpse. "Have you met officer David yet Major Kinnarty? It's a shame you didn't. If you had then you would see why she's been in my dreams every night. But alas," Ducky sighed with reservation "she would never want me. Now, let's see what exactly your last meal was."

After hearing Ducky's confession, Ziva disabled the door alarm and quietly slipped into the room. She stealthily crossed the room and hopped up onto the autopsy table behind Ducky. She watched him as she worked. She couldn't explain it, but she liked Ducky and she cared for him….a lot. It was, how did Tony say it? Oh yes, complicated.

"You know" Ducky spoke again to Major Kinnarty, still completely unaware of her presence in the room. I should ask her out maybe invite her to dinner, somewhere that makes Mediterranean and kosher foods. I bet she misses Israel."

Ziva sniffled. She couldn't help it. Ducky heard it and turned around in time to see two big, fat tears roll down her face. "How do you see me when I'm invisible to everyone else?" she tearfully asked. Ducky used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Because I love you Ziva." "I think" she tentatively began "I mean I'm not sure yet, but I think maybe I love you too." Ducky let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. "I want to kiss you Ziva, but this is not romantic" he gestured to the corpse "and you deserve so much more than that. May I take you to dinner tonight at 8 o'clock?"

"Yes. I would love to. Thank you for my flowers. No one has ever given me flowers before." Ducky leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Plan on getting used to being spoiled sweetheart, because I plan on doing it a lot." Ziva shook her head in wonder. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Just then Gibbs appeared on the small rectangular monitor by the computers. "David get up here, you've got visitors!"

"I wonder who it could be?" Ziva mused.

Ducky peeled off his gloves and slid the body back into the refrigerated wall. "I don't know but I'll come with you."

Like it? Hate it? Should I continue? Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Stepping off of the elevator, Ziva felt something solid connect with her shins. The two little voices shouting "Ima! Ima!" gave away the identity of her attackers.

"Rivkah? Aaron? Why aren't you with aba Avram?" She asked the tow small children in Hebrew as she hugged them tightly to herself.

"We are!" He's talking to Aunt Jenny." Rivkah pointed to the stairs. Ziva glanced upwards to see her father coming down the stairs. "Shalom director." "Shalom Ziva." Ziva briefly turned to the twins "go see Aunt Jenny." As the scampered off, Ziva turned back to her father raised and eyebrow and waited for his explanation.

"I cannot keep them with me anymore. It is not safe."

Ziva opened her mouth to say something, but Avram cut her off. "You are a good mother Ziva, no matter what you think. I'm so very thankful that you allowed me to be a part of their lives even though I was never there for you."

Ziva just stared at her father in disbelief. "So you are giving me back my children, thankful to have known them and you are not going to have anything to do with them anymore?" Her eyes flashed with anger and all the men of NCIS, including Ducky, took a step back. As she started to speak again, Ziva began to circle her father. "I am used to your indifference. You have never cared about me. I was never good enough. You only saw me as someone you could use, not as your child. My children are not used to that, nor will they ever be. How do you expect me to make them understand that aba Avram doesn't love them anymore!?" Then almost as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, Ziva laughed bitterly. "You feel guilty." she stated. "You think that by getting to know them and by loving them, that you can ease your guilt over the mission that resulted in their conception."

Suddenly it was as if all the fight had left her body. "Aba how could you?" she whispered brokenly. Ziva said nothing more, choosing instead to go see her kids upstairs.

Gibbs stepped up. "When you decide to understand what the rest of us already know, you can see your daughter and grandchildren. Until then, I don't want you anywhere near them."

Avram David nodded. "I will think on what you have said" he promised as the elevator door slid shut.

"Ziva with kids." Tony shuddered. "Scary."

"They can probably shoot better than you Tony" McGee replied.

"Shut up McGeek."

Ducky interrupted their banter. "I'm just going to make sure everyone upstairs is alright."

Gibbs nodded. "Report back when you're done Duck."

"Will do Jethro."

Reaching the director's office, he walked past Cynthia inside. The kids appeared to be fine, but Ziva was another story. Ducky couldn't believe that any father would treat his child like that. He sat down on the couch beside Ziva and pulled her into his arms. Ziva just laid limply against him.

Rivkah wandered over to her mother. "Ima, why sad?"

"Ima doesn't feel well Rivvie." Jenny answered for her friend.

Aaron joined his twin near their mother. "Ima have a boo boo?"

"Who's hungry?" Jenny asked. "Me!" two little voices answered her. Before she left her office, Jenny walked over to Ziva, kissed her forehead, and whispered "thank you" before leaving Ziva and Ducky alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Just a quick note: In this story Ziva is 30 and Ducky is 50

"They sat there in silence. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Ziva finally said.   
"Nonsense. How old are they?"

"They are three and a half. It happened on the mission I was on with Jenny. I did everything I could to keep the men who kidnapped us away from her. That's why we're best friends. She knows how long it takes to break me and she's seen me at my weakest point. I miss her though. We don't spend much time together now that she's the director."

Ducky stroked her hair as she spoke. "

"I'm afraid that our night out is canceled, but if you don't mind coming over, I'll make you dinner."

"I would love to."

Ziva was fidgety for a second. "Ducky, I'll understand if you don't want me know that you know I have small children."

She never ceased to amaze surprise him. "Why would I not want you? I love you, I'll love your kids. Upon first glance, your daughter seems to be exactly like you."

Ziva smiled. "Are you sure?"

Ducky inwardly sighed. Why was she always waiting for the other shoe to drop? "Ziva look at me."

Ziva slowly raised her eyes to his. "I love you. You're stuck with me. I will love your kids and any others that may come along ok?"

Ziva's eyes widened and she nodded her head.

"Come on" he said pulling her off the couch and leading her out of the office towards the stairs. "Lets get you and the kids home. I suspect you will need to do some shopping."

As she followed Ducky, Ziva felt very disconnected, like she was in some sort of odd dream, just waiting to wake up. She heard Gibbs call "David, take the week and get things squared away." She expressed her thanks to her boss as she stepped onto the elevator. Hitting the button, she shared a look with Ducky before the doors closed.

As she stepped off the elevator in the cafeteria, she heard "Ima, Ima are you all better?" She smiled. "Yes Ima's better. I missed you my little ones."

"Me and Rivvie missded you too ima."

"Are you ready to go? We have to get some food and pick up a few things for your room."

"Aba Avram took our stuff to home." Aaron said. "Ok my love, but we still need to get some things. Say bye to Aunt Jenny."

"Bye Aunt Jenny. We love you!"

As her children scampered over to the elevator, Ziva squeezed her friend's shoulder and whispered "I miss you" before she allowed the calls of her children to pull her away.


End file.
